Vinay Tiwari, the SHO of Chaubeypur who was suspended and arrested after the Bikru shoot-out, had allegedly begged Vikas Dubey and invoked their Brahmin caste honour to spare the life of Rahul Tiwari, who had filed an attempt-to-murder case against him two days before the killing of eight policemen.
Coming out of hiding, Mr. Rahul on Wednesday claimed this as he narrated the events that led to the raid of July 2-3.
It was on his complaint that the police teams had gone to Bikru to arrest Dubey.
Beaten by Dubey’s men
He said that on June 27, while he was returning to his village, men linked to Dubey surrounded and thrashed him and took away his motorcycle and cash. Following this, Mr. Rahul went to lodge a police complaint. SHO Tiwari, however, summoned him on July 1 and first went with him to the spot of the assault but later took him to the house of Dubey in Bikru village.
“Vikas Dubey and his henchmen thrashed me and put a rifle against my chest threatening to kill me,” Mr. Rahul told a Hindi TV channel. The SHO was also threatened and scolded by Dubey, he said.
Mr. Rahul then said that the SHO, fearing Dubey could kill him [Rahul], asked Dubey not to take any drastic step. “SHO sahab then took off his janeu (sacred thread) and said to Dubey, ‘Brother, please consider the honour of Brahmins’,” said Mr. Rahul.
After this, Dubey called for some Gangajal and gave it to both, and made them take vows. “Dubey was also made to promise that he would not kill me,” said Mr. Rahul, adding that his two-wheeler was returned to him and he was sent home.
However, Mr. Rahul approached the Kanpur SSP and an FIR was lodged.
The original dispute between Dubey and Mr. Rahul was over the latter’s in-laws’ ancestral land in Mohini Nawada village.
